1. 1 Observations of Cosmic Explosions Review, and results from the Palomar Transient Factory Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Avishay Gal-Yam (for PTF) Weizmann Institute of Science PTF highlights Presentation at the Tsinghua workshop November 5, 2012

2. 2 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Transient observations: discovery (optical) Probable SN (good) Variable star Variable AGN (QSO) AGN - resolved AGN (but maybe SN?) Artifact (bad subtraction)

3. 3 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Transient observations: discovery (optical) Targeted survey: KAIT/LOSS (BOSS) Untargeted: PTF

4. 4 Discovering a Supernova KAIT (Berkeley): The most successful Supernova search PTF

5. 5 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Supernova spectra [get to know WISeREP)

6. 6 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Supernova spectra – the unusual

7. 7 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Supernova light curves Type Ia Type Ib/c Type II Type IIn SLSN Drout IIb II-L II-P Arcavi Kiewe

8. 8 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Supernova physics (brief) Type Ia supernovae: binary white dwarfs; thermonuclear explosions Core-collapse SNe (massive-star explosions): release of gravitational energy Others? AICs/EC SNe; PISNe ?

9. 9 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science PTF results: 5 major themes Untargeted: unusual locations High cadence: early; rapid; well-sampled In nearby galaxies: faint and fast Large samples: population studies High throughput: rare events

10. 10 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Unusual locations – remote outskirts of galaxies Type Ia SNe - PTF10ops: talk to Mark and Kate Ca-rich faint SNe: Kasliwal SN 2010jp (PTF10aaxi): Smith

11. 11 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Unusual locations – dwarf galaxies Arcavi: different population – more below Neill: extreme hosts of extreme SNe (except for SLSN-II!; Quimby) Ben-Ami: PTF12gzk

12. 12 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High cadence: early SN 2011fe: SN Ia rise [Nugent, Bloom] SN 2011dh and friends: early structure [Arcavi] PTF10vgv: tight rise-time limits [Corsi] SN IIn pre-explosion outburst (Ofek)

13. 13 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High cadence: rapid PTF10vdl [Gal-Yam] SN 2011dh [Arcavi, Horesh] [SN 2011fe]

14. 14 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High cadence: well sampled PTF12gzk (Ben-Ami) – first look at the rise of a SN Ic

15. 15 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science In nearby galaxies: faint and fast Kasliwal’s thesis

16. 16 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Large samples: population studies Arcavi’s thesis: effects of Z?

17. 17 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Large samples: population studies SNe IIn (Silverman] Kiewe

18. 18 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events - SLSNe SLSN-I (Quimby): low-z

19. 19 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events - SLSNe SLSN-R (Yaron)

20. 20 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events – SN 2010jp (Smith) Jet in a type II?

21. 21 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events – PTF10iue Never-ending SN

22. 22 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events – PTF12gzk Type Ic with high velocities, long rise time, large Ni mass, but not a Ic-BL [Ben-Ami]

23. 23 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science High Throughtput: rare events – more coming…

24. 24 Avishay Gal-Yam | Weizmann Institute of Science Future of PTF Projects ends at end of 2012 Joint studies: PTF+GALEX, PTF+JVLA … We will continue as iPTF with focussed studies (e.g. even higher cadence) Expecting ZTF 2015 LIMSAT: space UV PTF … Thanks!